Adjustable screw-joint coupling for supply-pipes.



P. MUBLLER & A. C. SGHUERMANN. ADJUSTABLE SCREW JOINT COUPLING FOBSUPPLY PIPES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1911.

Patented Aug. 27,1912.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PHILIP MUELLER AND ANTON C. SGHUERMANN, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS, .ASSIGNORST0 H. MUELLEB MANUFACTURING ,(lOMPANY, 0F DECATUB, ILLINOIS, A CORPORA-TION OF ILLINOIS. v

.ADJUSTABLE SOBEW-JOINT COUPLING FOR SUPPLY-PIPES.

Speoioation of Letters Patent. Application led Iarch 24, 1911. SerialNo. 616,695.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PHILIP `MUELLER and ANTON C. SCHUERMANM citizens ofthe United States, residing at Decatur, in the county of Macon and Stateof Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in AdjustableScrew-Joint Couplingsfor Supplyipes, of which the following is aspecilication.

`This invention relates to coupling pipes such as are employed in makingconnectlon between service pipes and the Ifaucets of bath tubs, washbasins, and the like, this connection forming what is now generallyknown in the art as the supply pipe, and relates more particularly tothe 'manner inwhich this pipe is coupled up to the part or parts towhich it is connected.

` In order to permit theluse of coupling pipes or the supply pipe instandard sizes as to length and diameter, especially for open plumbingwork, it is found advisable to provide adjustable connections betweenthe supply pipe and either one or both of the parts to which it isconnected, this being due to the fact that the'distance between theservice pipe'and the faucet shank, Spud, or tail-piece as the case maybe, varies in installation. As the supply pipe, in open plumbing work,is visible throughout substantially its length, its appearance has moreor less effect upon the beauty of the plumbing, and consequently thesupply pipe should be, as far aspossible, symmetrlcal in appearance withthe remaining portions of the fixtures. In view of the fact that thissymmetrical appearance must be provided in the face of conditionsproduced by the liquid pressure, several essentials are necessary.

One of the essentials required is that the coupling sh-all not belliable to blow-outs, and yet at the same time provide a structure inwhich the internal diameter of the supply should .be of sufficient sizefor all practical purposes while the outer diameter is such as will notprovide a bulky appearance. To meet these conditions, it has beenproposed to employ a slip-joint connection with the end of the supplpipe telescoping into the fitting member, t e supply pipe preferablyhaving a flange against which the coupling nut may operate to retain theconnection, a packing being ernployed in connection with this flange.This construction, owing to the liability of'blowo uts under high liquidpressure, is not entlrely satisfactory, one reason being that it 1sdlfiicult to provide a proper manipula tion of the acking so as toinsure a nonleakage of llquid.

Another feature reatly desired in sup ply pipes, is to provide forvariations in the distance between the service pipe and the faucet orlavatory member by the use of a standard length supply pipe, making theconnections such as to eliminate all liability of blow-outs, one way ofmeeting this latter condition being to provide for a sufficientadjustment at the ends of the supply pipe to produce the proper exposedlength of the plpe and yet provide a suiiicient length of unexposedportion within the coupling as w1ll make the latter practically blow-outproof. And a preferable form of device is to provide for connecting thesupply and service pipes by a slip-joint, and providing for screwthreaded adjustments in the connections at the opposite end of thesupply pipe. To provide this arrangement we obtain the combined effectof the use of both screw threaded and slip-joint connections, obtainingthe advantages of both and in addition eliminating all of thedisadvantages of both. In obtaining this result we provide forcompressing the packing onto a smooth face of the coupling.

The object of our invention is, therefore, to provide a coupling pipeand connections capable of providing the essentials referred to, and theinvention consists in the improved construction and combination of partshereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,and particu. larly pointed out in the appended claims.

Inthe drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate similarparts in each of the views-Figure y1 is a view partly in elevation andpartly in section of a preferred form of coupling pipe mounted inposition. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view takenthrough the connection at the upper end of the p-ipe.

In the drawings, 10 designates a faucet shank exteriorly threaded andhaving its end in the form of an extension 11 of decreased diameter,said extension being of substantial length and having its exteriorPatentedv Aug. 27, 1912. l

smooth. The term shank is simply used as indicative of a general classof `Afittings,

it being understood that the part designated as the shank may be aportion of any type of tting,such as the. shank of a bath or basin cock,the tail-piece of a lavatory member, etc., the invention. g applicablefor use in connection with any of the well known types of fittings.

12 designates the service pipe, and 13 the coupling or supplyy pipe, thelattery preferabl being formed with a reduced lower` end an' connectedto the service pipe by a slipjoint 14 of any preferred type. It is to eunderstood, however, that we do not Alimit. the invention to thisparticular formation of the lower end of the pipe or the form ofcoupling, since it will be obvious that the supply pipe ma have itslower end of e ual diameter with 't e body of the pipe and t at anysuitable and preferred form of connection may be made between the supplyand service pipes.

The principalI featu e of our invention is the manner in whic' the suply pipe is coupled to the shari 10, an a preferred form is shown in/thedrawings and will now be described. p y v v The end of the ipe 13 whichis to -be cou led to the shanli, is preferably formed wit an inwardlyextending flange 154 hav- .of substantially equal outer diameter of theextension 11, theing an opening ada ted to loosely receive V theextension 11 of t e shank, this construction providing an extended endface for the pipe positioned annularly with respect to' the extension11, the'exterior of said end of:z the pipe 13 bein screw threaded as at13".l

The shank an pipe 13 are connected together'by means of a couplingmember 18 having its threads referabl on two planes= complemental to t ethrea s of the shank and the pipe, said coupling member also having aninternal shoulder disclosed in the present instance in the form of afiange 19 positioned intermediate the threaded portions, said langehavin an openin also iameter wit the structure being such that saidextension will pass loosely through the o ening. in the flange19, saidange provi ing a face in direct opposition to the end face of the pipe13, as shown in Fig. 2.

The space between the opposed faces of the flanges 15 and 19 is adaptedto receive an elastic gasket 20 of suitable material. In the drawing thegasket is shown as of common form and material, such as rubber, a washer21 being interposed between the gasket and the face of the Harige 19,this construction provides Vfor compressing the gasket onto the exteriorof the extension 11 Aas the coupling member and pipe 13 are Lcompressedonto -the exteriorof the extension by the opposing faces referred to,and for this purpose, it will be understood that the gasket may be ofrubber, metal, or of composition.

As will be seen, the relative arrangement,

of parts just described is such as to provide for adjustment forvariations in distance between the inlet endf of the shank 10, and theoutlet end of the service pipe 12, this adjustement being secured eitherby the relative threading movement of the member 18 and shank 10 orvthemember 18 and ipe 13,

or both', the former being preferre especially for adjustment toapproximate position, after which the adjustment of the member 18 andpipe 13 will compress the gasket onto the extension 11 and thus providean efficient liquid closure in advance of the threaded connections.

As will be readily understood, the extenmeet service conditions and atthe Sametime retain the advanta es resultin from the use of the gasketpac g in a vanoe of the threaded connection between the member 18 andshank 10.` By this particular arrangiament of parts the external threadsof t supply pie 13 need not be of as great a depth as t ose of theshank, thereby enablin the use of a supply pipe of medium wa thicknesswithout restricting the liquid ilow or providing a bulky appearance tothe pipe. Thethreads of the member 18 may or may not be of the samepitch, the particular arrangement in this respect being optional to meetservice conditions, the preference being, however, to decrease tle depthof the threads on the supply pipe in order that the wall thicknessthereof be not excessive, and that the external diameter be notmaterially reduced in order to eliminate a bulky appearance to the pipe,this alternative arrangement falling within the scope of the invention,thev latter consisting in providing a screw threaded connection betweenthe supply pipe and the shank in order to permit adjustments, and at thesame time providin a packing in advance of the screw threaded connectionso as to prevent liquid flow into the threads of the adjustableconnection.

izo

While we have herein disclosed a preferred form and modificationsthereof, 1t is to be understood that changes and modifications thereinrequired under the conditions of use may be employed and arecontemplated by the invention herein so long as they fall within thespirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the following claims.

Having thus described our invention, what .We claim as new is 1. Incombination, a faucet shank bein exteriorly threaded and having anelongate and reduced extension provided with a smooth outer surface, asupply pipe engaging loosely over the reduced extension and having aninturned ange litting snugly against the extension and further havingexterior screw threads, a coupling member engaging at its ends inthreaded relation over the faucet shank and the supply pipe respectivelyand having an inwardly extending flange midway of its ends snuglyfitting about the extension, said flange on the coupling memberproviding a face in opposition to the face of the flange on the supplypipe, a gasket carried about the extension between said flanges, and awasher interposed between the gasket and the flange of the couplingmember.

2. In combination, a supply pipe having exterior threads at one end andan mternal ther having an inwardly extending flange midway of its endsembracing the extension and lying in opposition'to the flange of thesupplypipe, and a gasket interposed between the flanges" and adapted tobind against the extension by the pressure of the coupling member.

3. A coupling as specified comprising a threaded shank having a reducedsmooth extension, a threaded supply pipe loose about the extension andhaving an inturned end flange embracing the extension, a gasket aboutthe extension against the outer face of the flange, and a couplingmember thread-- ed on the supply pipe and the shank and having anintermediate flange loose about the extension for engagement against thegasket to bind the latter against the extension.

4. In combination, an externally threaded supply pipe, an externallythreaded shank provided with a reduced smooth extension slidablyengaging in the supply pipe, a

packing surrounding the reduced extens1on,

and a coupling member engaging in threaded relation at its opposite endsthe shank and the supply pipe and having an interior flange bearingagainst the packing, the coupling member being adapted to be turned upon the supply pipe whereby said flange compresses the packing againstthe end of the supply pipe and against said reduced extension.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

PHILIP MUELLER. ANTON C. SCHUERMANN.

Witnesses:

LEONARD F. MCKIBBEN, WILLIAM R. BIDDLE.

